In Charlotte Bront’s Jane Eyre, Edward Rochester is legally unable to dissolve his marriage to Bertha Mason as a result of constraints of Nineteenth-century English regulation. Divorce was exceedingly tough and costly to acquire, requiring an Act of Parliament. This authorized hurdle was primarily accessible to the rich elite, and even then, proof of adultery on the spouse’s half, or a mix of different severe offenses on the husband’s half, was vital. Merely wishing to finish a wedding because of incompatibility or a spouse’s psychological sickness, as was the case with Bertha, was inadequate grounds.
The close to impossibility of acquiring a divorce for somebody in Rochester’s social standing, who was not exceptionally rich or politically linked, highlights the restrictive nature of marriage legal guidelines throughout the Victorian period. It underscores the restricted company afforded to people trapped in sad or unsuitable unions. Moreover, the authorized system closely favored males, making it much more difficult for ladies to provoke or efficiently navigate divorce proceedings. The absence of authorized recourse considerably formed the characters’ actions and the general narrative arc of the novel.
